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'Major recession' seen amid coronavirus crisis: Live updates

The world’s two leading financial institutions have warned of dire economic disruptions as the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread around the world, with record number of deaths and infections reported in Europe and the United States.

World Bank Group President David Malpass on Friday said the health emergency was expected to cause a “major global recession” that would likely hit the poorest and most vulnerable countries the hardest, while the International Monetary Fund described the situation as a “crisis like no other”.

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The death toll in Europe has surged to around 40,000, while in the United States the number of deaths hit more than 7,000, bringing the number of deaths worldwide to more than 58,000, according to the data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

The number of cases also continue to rise, with the US reporting more 275,000 infections, while Italy, Spain and Germany combined recorded more than 300,000 cases.

Worldwide, the number of cases is closing in at 1.1 million, with the number of recoveries close to 226,000.

Here are the latest updates:

Saturday, April 4

00:40 GMT – Mainland China reports 19 new confirmed coronavirus cases

Mainland China reported on Saturday at least 19 new confirmed cases of coronavirus, down from 31 a day earlier, including one new infection in central Hubei province, the epicentre of the outbreak in the country.

Of the new cases, 18 involved travellers arriving from abroad, the National Health Commission said in a statement. The new infections bring the total number of confirmed cases in mainland China to 81,639 as of Friday. China also reported four new deaths, raising the death toll to 3,326 as of Friday.

The White House says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending that Americans cover their faces when leaving the home, especially around other people. But President Donald Trump is calling it “voluntary” and says he himself won’t wear a mask.

“I’m choosing not to do it,” he said late on Friday, even as he ordered a freeze in the exportation of N95 masks and surgical gloves under the Defense Production Act.

23:05 GMT – New York governor signs order to take unused ventilators

President Donald Trump says his administration is “doing our best for New York” even as Governor Andrew Cuomo warns the state is in danger of not having enough ventilators to help coronavirus-stricken patients in a matter of days.

Earlier on Friday, Cuomo signed an executive order allowing the state to take unused ventilators and personal protective equipment from hospitals within the state. The state, which recorded around 3,000 coronavirus deaths, has been the hardest hit area in the US by the pandemic.

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